Belfast St Patrick's Day parade transforms city into sea of colour
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Belfast city centre was transformed into a sea of colour and music today for the St Patrick's Day celebrations.
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Hundreds lined the route from the City Hall to Custom House Square where teenage singing sensation Eoghan Quigg delighted the crowds.
Oompa Loompas from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, some carrying oversize lollipops, accompanied the drum-banging band as the party got into full swing.
Stilt walkers and a mobile human windmill with aerial acrobats on either end accompanied the procession on its short journey to Custom House Square.
Exploring the theme of 'Legends, Myths and Stories', and featuring hundreds of participants from all corners of Belfast, it left the City Hall at 12 noon.
Some 5,000 tickets for the centrepiece concert were snapped up in just a few days.
The main concert, compered by Pete Snodden of Cool FM, started at 1pm. The first half of the bill featured Celtic fusionists Breag, Belfast-based traditional Irish five-piece At First Light and pioneering percussionists Torann.
The headline pop act, Dungiven teenage singing sensation Eoghan Quigg, was a star of the last series of The X Factor.
This is the fourth year Belfast City Council has organised a carnival procession and free concert.
This evening the Ulster Orchestra will be giving their now traditional concert at the Belfast Waterfront, while the newly reopened Ulster Hall will be hosting 'Sham-Rock', a tribute to music greats Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy.
Belfast City Council also has funded a wide variety of community groups across the city, to help people celebrate St Patrick's Day in their own neighbourhoods. Almost 100 organisations received a share of £30,000 in grant aid from the council's Good Relations Fund.
Where the craic is on St Patrick’s Day
By Maureen Coleman
Hundreds of thousands of revellers have been drowning their shamrocks today as St Patrick’s Day celebrations get into full swing across the globe.
From Belfast to Brisbane, Dublin to Detroit, the Guinness and green beer has been flowing to honour the patron saint of Ireland.
In some cities such as London and New York, festivities already got under way a few days ago, despite budget restrictions affecting numerous parades this year.
The New York parade is expected to be the largest in the world, while in Ireland up to one million people are expected to take part in celebrations, with Dublin hosting the biggest event.
The theme for this year’s festival parade in the Irish capital is The Sky’s The Limit and the programme is packed with street theatre, traditional and contemporary music, dance, comedy, film and a treasure hunt.
The parade itself is expected to be joined by marching bands from Ireland, the US, Germany and Italy. To celebrate the GAA’s 125th anniversary celebrations, a specially commissioned GAA pageant, entitled Monumental Moments, will lead the St Patrick’s day parade this year.
In Belfast, X Factor star Eoghan Quigg will headline this year’s St Patrick’s Day concert in Belfast city centre, which will also feature Celtic fusionists Breag, Belfast-based traditional Irish five-piece At First Light and pioneering percussionists Torann.
A colourful carnival procession, featuring hundreds of participants, started at noon from City Hall, making its way along Donegall Place to Castle Junction into Castle Place, then along High Street and Victoria Street into Custom House Square.
And there will also be a night of music at the Waterfront Hall, featuring the music of Bill Whelan along with the Ulster Orchestra and a host of international soloists, which will be broadcast live on Radio Ulster.
Celebrations have already started in Downpatrick, where a cross-community carnival parade will take place today, with the theme The Sun, The Moon and The Stars. In Londonderry a day of family fun has been organised, with the city twinning with Nottingham for St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Programme highlights at Victoria Market include performances by the local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eirneann TV and recording star Michael English, followed by the Oisin Folk Group and performances by local Irish dancers.
Across the Atlantic, most of the major cities in the US, along with New York, will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day. In Detroit, pubs across the city will be dishing out special St Patrick’s Day Irish breakfasts of sausages, eggs and bacon. Chicago saw the celebrations get off to an early start at the weekend, with the dyeing of the Chicago river green. The residents and tourists alike gathered for the annual parade, which featured floats, pipe bands and Irish dancers.
Thousands of ex-pats in Australia will also be marking St Patrick’s Day today with massive parades in Brisbane and Sydney.